Hans (Russian: Ганс) is a Fourth Reich shock trooper of Frontline and silent protagonist of the Metro: Last Light DLC mission Heavy Squad. Heavily armed and armoured, he almost single-handedly holds off a horde of Red Line soldiers on the Frontline.
Overview[]
As Heavy Squad is not a story-driven mission, very little is known about Hans. He does not carry a single line of dialogue, even in the introduction to the level, nor is his face is ever shown, except his upper face at the end - this is mostly hidden by a gas mask but indicates he's around 25-40 years old. He is likely very battle hardened, given his reputation. What is known about Hans comes directly from remarks from Diesel and the other soldiers in the level, and the player's actions.
Hans is a heavy weapons specialist for the Reich, an expert in combat relief, shock warfare, and counter-assaults. Because of this, of the three soldiers sent to help the infantry at Frontline, he is notably the best armored and, depending on the player's actions, the most deadly. His combat effectiveness is in-part owed to the fact Hans begins his mission armed with a powerful Gatling, which he is immediately able to handle, and over the course of the mission garners a Hellbreath and a Medved.
Background[]
While Hans' background is vague, it is presumed that he has been with the heavy weapons squad for quite sometime given his reputation with it. He is also close friends with two members of the heavy squad according to dialogue. One is an unnamed comrade who accompanied Hans to the Frontline, the other, Diesel, gives Hans his Medved. The ultimate fate of Hans is unknown, though, as the Reich canonically wins the battle, it can be assumed he lives on to battle the Red Army.
Trivia[]
- "Hans" is a notably German name, which would be consistent with the German theme of the Fourth Reich.
- 'Пулеметчик Ганс', literally 'Hans the Machinegunner', is a stereotypical Soviet moniker for a German, or simply foreign, machine gun operator. It shows up frequently in folklore and anecdotes.
- The fighting between the Reich and the Red Line is a reference to the Eastern Front of World War II: in both cases the Reich use well trained, well equipped troops that are few in number while both Red forces use poorly trained, poorly equipped but numerous troops. In World War II, the Red Army defeated the Third Reich - here the tables have turned and a few well armed Fourth Reich troops were able to defeat hundreds of Red soldiers.
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